This invention is concerned with controlled operation of a remotely located flush valve from a readily accessible operating mechanism.
More particularly, the present invention is concerned with supplying water or other liquid to areas in relationship to the quantity removed to avoid damage or flooding.
The invention is particularly useful in installations subject to misuse, vandalism as well as outright excess supplying of water, in particular, to plumbing installations.
More particularly, the invention is useful in penal institutions, where it is desired to provide the least amount of accessibility either directly or indirectly to operating controls for a fixture to which water is to be supplied, and specifically to a urinal or toilet bowl to which flush water is to be supplied.
The invention also finds applicability in those installations in which electrical power is intentionally or accidentally shut off and controlled electrical reactivation is desired or required.
In many plumbing installations, it is desirable that the flush valves or flushing water closets and urinals be concealed as well as out of reach of a user and yet be readily accessible for operation by a user, for example. In certain installations, such as in prisons for example or in other non-normal situations, the user may stuff the water closet and cause overflow and flooding of the surrounding area. In other installations, playful mischievousness may also result in a blockage of the discharge passage of the water closet. Whatever the cause, blockage of the discharge passage is an undesirable situation and overflow and flooding is to be avoided.
The invention also proposes the user of a readily accessible flush valve actuator not requiring user hand actuation. In some situations and locations, it is desirable that a water closet be flushed without having to depend on the user.
In certain installations where user hand control is eliminated, it is also desirable to have a concealed control of the flushing operation separate and apart from the user activation as well as cooperation with user activation.
The invention also proposes the provision of a piston actuator on the flush valve responsive to the supply line pressure and which has orifice means separate and apart from the piston which does not interfere with the piston or result in a skewing of the piston while providing for a pressure drop across the piston, thereby insuring the positive operation of the piston. The orifice means permits restoration of the piston after the pressure has been disconnected by the push button. For a readily accessible flush valve not requiring a user's hand, it is within the scope of the present invention to provide an infra-red detector system which will operate the flush valve without the necessity of using a push button.
There are instances on record where inmates in prisons have purposely and deliberately clogged plumbing fixtures and then continued to operate the mechanism for supplying water to cause flooding of the fixture and the surrounding environs.